Sunday, January 17, 2016

The latest album
from Philadelphia acoustic guitarist Trevor Gordon Hall is marketed
as new age, folk, and country, but it is far more than that.Before we get to the
music, let's get to the man and his craft. Hall is no ordinary
guitarist. He plays a unique, custom-designed instrument called a
kalimbatar, a cross between a guitar and an African finger piano
known as a kalimba, which is affixed to the top of his guitar.

This unusual
assemblage allows Hall not only to generate acoustic guitar tones,
but bell-like timbres as well, giving off the effect of a duo without
the need for overdubs or two actual musicians.

The kalimbatar is
perfectly suited to new age, folk, and county, but Hall does much
more with the instrument. The technology, as impressive as it is in
itself, never distracts from the striking beauty of Hall's original
compositions.

And unlike a lot of
new age folk in particular, Hall relies much less on repetitive
patterns and locked rhythms than he does expansive, thoughtful chord
structures and incisive lead phrasing. In fact, many of the tunes
come across delightfully as acoustic jazz.

Thursday, January 14, 2016

It
wouldn’t be a Star Wars episode without the music of John
Williams to underscore the cosmic feats of intergalactic derring-do
unfolding on the big screen. The 83-year-old maestro returns with
what is one of his finest scores for the legendary franchise – in
fact, probably his best since Return of the Jedi.

Just
like the box-office-busting seventh episode it accompanies, Williams’
new soundtrack is a brilliant blend of old and new that reacquaints
us with familiar themes while taking us to new heights of thrilling
adventure and emotional poignancy.

Of
course, there is the classic fanfare that blasts the Star Wars
logo onto the screen and into the farthest reaches of space while the
famous main theme accompanies the latest text crawl, before segueing
with original music into the newest installment.

As
with Williams’ previous Star Wars scores, much of the
incidental music is, well, exactly that, incidental. But it is much
more melodic and tuneful than before, as opposed to being just abrupt
and atonal, especially during scenes of action and suspense.

Highlights
include musical callbacks to old friends and iconic spaceships, plus
a spectacular and majestic new hero motif, which brilliantly inverts
Luke’s binary sunset/Force theme from the original trilogy before
soaring to a lofty new crescendo of hope, promise, and triumph.

Since
Williams’ Star Wars end title music usually encapsulates the
themes of the just concluded film, his closing music here is joyously
exhilarating, making it the most memorable and resounding finale
since Return of the Jedi.

This
is one of the very few exemplary soundtracks of at least the last
decade and a fine return to form for both Williams and Star Wars.

Sunday, January 10, 2016

I
am not at all a fan of Queen, but I have to give them props for
having crafted one of the wackiest, most
bonkers motion picture soundtracks ever committed to record.Just
like the 1980 film itself, the album is full of cheesy goodness,
including snippets of dialogue and sound effects lifted directly from
the movie. Brian Blessed’s exhilarating, maniacal intensity as
Vultan, leader of the Hawk Men, is alone worth the price of purchase–
for both the film and the soundtrack.

None
of this insanity detracts from the music – in fact, it enhances it,
and the music responds in kind. The lead vocals (on the iconic main
theme and its reprise throughout), the screeching guitars, the crazy
keyboards and synthesizers, the pulse-pounding drums, and the kinetic
percussion all function simultaneously as both classic rock and
classic kitsch – a rare feat.

I
highly recommend the 1994 single CD version, which is the basic movie
soundtrack; the 2011 double CD deluxe edition is really geared more
toward die-hard devotees of Queen.

If
you enjoy the movie, you’ll enjoy this soundtrack. If this is all
new to you, but you just want to hear something totally weird and off
the wall, you will not be disappointed.

New
age masters Steven Halpern and Michael Diamond create
musical magic with this delightful digital concoction, along
with some help from their friend Michael Manring.

The
CD contains 14 tracks of tranquil instrumental bliss, with
genre pioneer Halpern laying a dense sonic foundation with
his Fender Rhodes, keyboards, synthesizers, and crystal bowls, and Diamond
weaving his smoldering guitar tones throughout the mystical
mix. Manring chimes in on several numbers with his
formidable bass.

The
result is a flawless record of a dynamic trio that would be
a dream to see live.